Soriano comfortably and happy in return to Bronx

[RLA68]

http://newyork.yankees.mlb.com/NASAp...=.jsp&c_id=nyy

NEW YORK -- Alfonso Soriano was one of the rising stars of Major League Baseball during his three seasons in the Bronx, coming close to joining the exclusive 40-40 (homers-stolen bases) club.
Soriano now wears the uniform of the Texas Rangers, but the second baseman isn't ruling out the possibility of a return to the Yankees when he becomes a free agent after the 2006 season. As he talked about his love of Yankee Stadium and his apartment in Fort Lee, N.J., Soriano added that he's not thinking that far ahead, as his main concern right now is his current team.

"I'm not thinking it. I don't want to put something in my mind that I don't know if it will happen or not. If it happens, it happens," Soriano said. "I'm not thinking like I'm coming back. If I think it and it doesn't happen, I'll be a little frustrated."

Soriano had two hits on Friday night against the Yankees, who dealt him last February for Alex Rodriguez. This weekend marks just the second time since the trade that Soriano has played at Yankee Stadium, the ballpark in which he says he feels the most comfortable.

"I always like coming here," Soriano said. "As a visitor or home [player], I feel good when I play here."

Soriano still keeps in touch with some of his former teammates, including Derek Jeter. Friday, he had the chance to catch up with several Yankees before the game.

"It's the same," he said of his relationships. "I just have a different uniform than they do now."

He watched some of last year's ALCS, but said he turned off Game 7 after Johnny Damon's grand slam gave the Red Sox a 6-0 lead.

"I felt bad for my teammates, the guys who played with me," Soriano said. "But I was happy for my friends in Boston like David [Ortiz], Manny [Ramirez] and Damon. That was a long time to not win the World Series."

Pressure cooker: Alex Rodriguez continues to have trouble with runners in scoring position, as he struck out twice on Friday night with men on second base.

For the year, A-Rod is hitting just .214 (6-for-28) with RISP, including an .083 mark with two outs.

"A lot of that is self-induced," manager Joe Torre said. "Alex, in an effort to do his job, to do what he expects from himself, in those situations it becomes apparent that he tries too hard. Sometimes it's a detriment to want it as bad as he does, because you tend to overdo it."

Rodriguez is hitting .270 with four homers and 14 RBIs this season.

Role player: Torre wanted Andy Phillips to come up from Columbus to replace the injured Ruben Sierra because he felt the young first baseman would give the Yankees a right-handed threat off the bench.

Phillips may get the occasional start at first against a left-hander, possibly as soon as Wednesday, when the Yankees face Jarrod Washburn of the Angels. Torre said that Phillips' offense was the key to taking him, even though it leaves the club with Bubba Crosby as the only true backup outfielder.

"When you think about what we lose with Ruben," Torre said, "it's not the ability to play the outfield, it's the ability to hit."

Open Mike night: Mike Stanton struck out all four batters he faced on Friday night, his second consecutive strong outing. Stanton retired Eric Hinske in a big spot in Thursday's game, and it appears that the left-hander is starting to find his groove.

"I'm happy for him, because he was searching for the strike zone for a few games," Torre said. "Mike has the confidence that he's going to get progressively better."

Paul Quantrill also had a solid outing on Friday, extending the bullpen's scoreless streak to 13 innings.

"The more good stuff comes out of there, the more confidence they'll have coming in," said Torre of his relievers. "The more times they come in, the less they'll have to think about."

Mark Feinsand is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[RockSports17]

I would love to have Soriano back in pinstripes. He would definitely be an upgrade over Womack at 2nd.

[General]

Soriano Pwns. Bring him back.

[griffeyfan3]

yea imust say soraino is my favorite second basemen and would love to see him back in the bronx

[Saber]

It doesn't take much to upgrade over Wohack. That said, Soriano is not the best option. He's become a less succesful hacker than when he first came into the league, and whoever has him long-term will regret it.

[RLA68]

I hate to say it but I agree with Saber. The Yankees are in need of slashers and OBP guys. We have the mashers at 3B and 1B that we did not have in our title years(ironically). We do not need another bomber especially in a position that we need someone who can bunt or just get on base.

I like Soriano mainly due to he was in our organization but that was then and this is now.

[RockSports17]

It doesn't deny the fact that Soriano can still put up numbers. It would be great to have Soriano back. If we can get a better option at 2nd base, then fine, I'm all for that. But who would be available for the Yanks to pick up and be better than Soriano?

[RLA68]

Its not a matter of who is better as a player but who is better as a fit for our team.

Soriano is weak as a fielder and as a OBP guy. As a free agent he will easily land 10-12 million a year. Do we want to pay that much for a 2B?

[RockSports17]

I'm sure if the right guy came along, Stein would spend that much money.

Cash, Torre, and Stein may not think that what we need is OBP guy, and a guy with strong defense. I've never seen an article, or have heard anything about Cashman saying they need an OBP guy, and that they wouldn't want Soriano back.

[RLA68]

Our last 2 2B have been able to bunt, possibly better OBP guys(at least take BBs), and better defensively. Womack and Cairo even, had some skills that Soriano lacked.

No one will openly say that Soriano is not a good fit. Just in case it comes back around. If he would change positions, it might be a different story.

[RockSports17]

Well, I remember sometime back of the possibilty of him becoming an OF. I think that would be great, Sheff is getting up there in age, our CF is a mess. I wouldn't mind seeing him out in the OF. But either way, I would welcome him back. I think he would be a great offensive player to have on the team.

[RLA68]

If it happened, I would be okay with him coming back. I would hope that we free up some contracts before hand. I am not sure about 2B but we sure would have the greatest hitting infield of all time with Posada, Giambi, Soriano, Jeter and ARod.